The present invention relates to a fan, and more particularly to a fan assembly.
The basic function of the industrial fan is ventilating and cooling the electrical apparatus. It normally needs one fan to be mounted in any one of most of electrical apparatuses. The conventional cooling fan we use has generally a square and flat shape, and normally has a generally square fan frame. However, some electrical apparatuses such as the router or the hub have a specific overall shape longer, wider or narrower than that of the usual ones. For a relatively bulky electrical apparatus, it will merely perform the cooling and ventilating function in the local area if we only mount one fan in the electrical apparatus. Thus, it needs to mount multiple fans in the wide side of the electrical apparatus, or else it does not reach the purpose of soundly ventilating and cooling.
FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an architecture of the conventional multiple fans assembly. Three fan devices 11, 12, 13 respectively are independent fan device units, and respectively have fan frames 112, 122, 132 and pairs of power lines 111, 121, 131. In addition, each fan has four screw holes 14 on the respective fan frame for allowing the corresponding screws to be fixed tightly onto the electrical apparatus.
Presently, the assembling method of the ventilating and cooling fan devices on the electrical apparatus is to fix the multiple conventional fan frames one by one to the electrical apparatus by means of screws one by one. It has a less elasticity of assembly. Moreover, it uses lots of screws for fixing onto the electrical apparatus the multiple conventional fan frames hence it costs much unnecessary manufacturing cost and assembling time. In addition, each fan frame has an external pair of power lines. While multiple fan frames are to be mounted in the electrical apparatus, there are many external pairs of power lines in the electrical apparatus. As known, it is a trouble to arrange these external power lines and handle the entwining external power lines in the electrical apparatus.
It is therefore tried by the applicant to deal with the above situation encountered by the prior art.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an architecture for a fan assembly, in which the hardware assembling cost and time are reduced because of using fewer screws and using an engaging assembling method.
It is further an object of the present invention to provide an architecture for a fan assembly having a flexible assembling form.
It is still an object of the present invention to provide an assembling method for simplifying the power lines collection of multiple fan devices.
It is additional an object of the present invention to provide an architecture for a fan assembly having a fancy assembling type of multiple fan devices.
It is more an object of the present invention to provide an architecture for a fan assembly, in which a specific fan device unit can be replaced when the specific fan device unit is broken. According to the present invention, a fan assembly includes a first fan device having an engaging medium, and a second fan device having a corresponding engaging medium for engaging with the engaging medium of the first fan device, thereby allowing the second fan device to be combined with the first fan device.
Certainly, the first fan device can further include a additional engaging medium for engaging with a corresponding engaging medium of a third fan device, thereby allowing the third fan device to be combined with the first fan device.
Certainly, the second fan device can further include an additional engaging medium for engaging with a corresponding engaging medium of a fourth fan device, thereby allowing the fourth fan device to be combined with the second fan device.
Certainly, each of the first fan device, the second fan device, the third fan device and the fourth fan device can be one selected from a group consisting of a centrifugal fan, an axial-flow fan and a cross fan.
Preferably the engaging medium of the first fan device is a protruding piece.
Preferably the corresponding engaging medium of the second fan device is a receptacle.
Generally, the present invention further includes plural fan devices to be combined with the first fan device and the second fan device in parallel.
Generally, the present invention further includes plural fan devices to be combined with the first fan device and the second fan device vertically in parallel.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, a fan device includes a fan frame having an engaging medium adapted to engage with a corresponding engaging medium of another the fan frame of another the fan device, and a fan secured in the fan frame.
Certainly, the fan device can be one selected from a group consisting of a centrifugal fan, an axial-flow fan and a cross fan.
Preferably the engaging medium is a protruding piece.
Preferably the corresponding engaging medium is a receptacle.
Certainly, the fan frame can further include another respective engaging medium adapted to engage with a corresponding engaging medium of another fan frame of another the respective fan device.
According to more an aspect of the present invention, a fan assembly includes plural fan devices, each of which has a fan frame having an engaging medium adapted to engage with a corresponding engaging medium of another the fan frame of another the fan device; and a fan secured in the fan frame.
Preferably the engaging medium is a protruding piece.
Preferably the corresponding engaging medium is a receptacle.
Preferably the fan device further includes another engaging medium adapted to engage with a corresponding engaging medium of another fan device of another the respective fan device.